Telescoping support column

ABSTRACT

A support column having an upper inner sleeve and a lower outer sleeve arranged in telescopic fashion for vertically supporting a floor support beam from a footing spaced therebelow. A plurality of arcuate wedges are circumferentially arranged between an upwardly flared-out portion of the outer sleeve and the outer surface of the inner sleeve. The initially collapsed column is extended between the footing and the beam so that a beam support member on the upper end of the inner sleeve engages the beam, and a floor support member on the lower end of the outer sleeve engages the footing. With the column so arranged, a vertical adjustment screw is actuated to produce a telescopic retraction force on the two sleeves which causes the wedges to become wedged between the two sleeves with serrated edges on the inner surfaces of the wedges biting into the inner sleeve to transfer the axial load from the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve and thereby support the beam. The screw may then be further adjusted to level the beam as required.

Foon

[451 June 5, 1973 [54] TELESCOPING SUPPORT COLUMN [75] Inventor: AlvinN. Foon, Southfield, Mich.

' [73] Assignee: AFCO Manufacturing Corp., Holly,

Mich.

221 Filed: June 18,1971 211 App]. No.:- 154,282

I FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 322,6l9 l2/l929 GreatBritain ..248/355Primary Examiner-William H. Schultz Attorney-Barnes, Kisselle, Raisch &Choate ABSTRACT A support column having an upper inner sleeve and alower outer sleeve arranged in telescopic fashion for verticallysupporting a floor support beam from a footing spaced therebelow. Aplurality of arcuate wedges are circumferentially arranged between anupwardly flared-out portion of the outer sleeve and the outer surface ofthe inner sleeve. The initially collapsed column is extended between thefooting and the beam so that a beam support member on the upper end ofthe inner sleeve engages the beam, and a floor support member on thelower end of the outer sleeve engages the footing. With the column 'soarranged, a vertical adjustment screw is actuated to produce atelescopic retraction force on the two sleeves which causes the wedgesto become wedged between the two sleeves with serrated edges on theinner surfaces of the wedges biting into the inner sleeve to transferthe axial load from the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve and therebysupport the beam. The screw may then be further adjusted to level thebeam as required.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 5 I975 3.737.134

INVENTOR Alf/N V. FOO/V ATTORNEYS TELESCOPING SUPPORT COLUMN Thisinvention relates to a telescoping support column for supporting a floorsupport beam on a footing.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an adjustable supportcolumn which, while being of relatively simple construction, canaccommodate a range of height requirements and can be expeditiouslyinstalled and vertically adjusted to support the load of a floor supportbeam on a footing.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparentin thefollowing description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the support column of the presentinvention having portions broken away and portions in section.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 inFIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the support column of thepresent invention supporting a floor support beam 12 on a footing 14.Column 10 comprises a lower tubular sleeve 16 and a coaxial uppertubular sleeve 18, whose lower end is slidably arranged within the upperend of sleeve 16. A base plate 20 in the form of a circular ringsupports sleeve 16 in a vertical upright position on footing 14. Anupturned circular flange 22 at the inner periphery of base 20 engagesthe lower open end of sleeve 16, and a horizontal circular flange 24 atthe outer periphery of base 20 is attached to footing 14 by fasteners26. Once column '10 is installed, a cement floor 27 may be poured overfooting 14 covering base 20 and the lower end of sleeve 16. A circularcollar 28 encloses the open upper end of sleeve 18. A circular groove 30extends around the side of collar 28 and a circular shoulder 32 isprovided at the upper end of collar 28. A plurality of inwardlyprojecting detents 34 in sleeve 18 engage groove 30 to retain collar 28on sleeve 18. A threaded hole 36 extends centrally through collar 28.The lower end of a screw stud 38 is threaded into hole 36. A circularbutton 40 forms a shoulder 42 at the upper end of stud 38. Shoulder 42supports a cap 44 with button 40 projecting through a hole 46 centrallyformed therein. Cap 44 is attached to beam 12 by fasteners 48. Acircular hole 50 extends horizontally through stud 38. A rod (not shown)may be passed through hole 50 for rotating stud 38 to thereby adjust theposition of cap 44 relative to collar 28 and sleeve 18.

The open upper end of sleeve 16 is flared outwardly and formed into afrusto-conical surface 52 which is concentric with the axis of sleeve16. Surface 52 is inclined at an acute angle with respect to the sleeveaxis and flares radially outwardly therefrom in the upward direction.The frusto-conical surface 52 terminates at an upper end segment 54 ofsleeve 16 which is parallel to the sleeve axis.

Three arcuately-shaped wedges 56 are arranged circumferentially betweensurface 52 and the outer surface of sleeve 18. Each wedge 56 has aradially outer surface 58 in juxtaposition to surface 52 and similarlyinclined relative to the sleeve axis. The radially inner surface of eachwedge 56 is formed with a plurality of ing beam 12. The upwardly-pointedapexes 62 of serrations 60 bite into sleeve 18 as is shown in somewhatexaggerated proportion in FIG. 3.

68 may be loosened to permit column 10 to be ex- I tended. Once column10 is installed, ring 66 and screw 68 serve no further purposes.

At installation, the collapsed column 10 is positioned between footingl4 and beam 12 and then screws 68 are loosened to permit the column tobe extended by sliding sleeve 18 upwardly of sleeve 16. Base 20 and cap44 may be attached to footing 14 and beam 12 respectively at this timeor later. Wedges 56 and the flared arrangement of surface 52 permitsleeve 18 to move freely upwardly of sleeve 16. Once column 10 isextended vertically to engage beam 12, the force of gravity maintainswedges 56 at the lower region of space 64 approximately as illustratedso that outer wedge surfaces 58 rest on frusto-conical surface 52, andapexes 62 of the serrations engage the outer surface of sleeve 18. A rodis inserted into hole 50 and rotated to advance stud 38 upwardly ofcollar 28. This in turn forces sleeve 18 downwardly into sleeve 16. The

frictional contact between apexes 62 and the outer surface of sleeve 18is sufficiently great that initial downward movement of sleeve 18 tendsto move wedges 56 downwardly and tightly against surface 52. This actioncauses serrations 60 to bite into sleeve 18 so that wedges 56 are forcedagainst surface 52 and become wedged between the two sleeves. Hence, asscrew 38 is advanced upwardly, the load of beam 12 is increasinglytransferred between sleeve 18 and sleeve 16 by the wedging action ofwedges 56 until the two sleeves become locked together to transfer thefull load of beam 12 onto footing 14. Thereafter, screw 38 may befurther adjusted if necessary to level the floor supported by thecolumn.

Although the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings is shownsupporting a wood beam 12, it should be recognized that a conventionalclip-type cap may be used with column 10 to support a metal beam such asan I-beam. Also, the threaded adjusting screw 38 may be used at thelower end of the lower sleeve 16 instead of the upper sleeve 18.

I claim:

1. A telescoping support column for vertically supporting a floorsupport beam from a footing spaced therebelow comprising an upper innersleeve and a lower outer sleeve slidably arranged in telescopingfashion, a beam support member connected to the upper end of said innersleeve, a floor support member connected to the lower end of said outersleeve, means for transmitting an axial load from said inner sleeve tosaid outer sleeve when the column is arranged between a footing and afloor support beam comprising a frustoconical surface coaxially definedon the inner surface of the upper end portion of the outer sleeve andextending radially outwardly in the upward direction at an acute anglerelative to the sleeve axis, a plurality of arcuately-shaped wedgesarcuately arranged between the frusto-conical surface and the outersurface of said inner sleeve, each of said wedges having a radiallyouter surface in juxtaposition to the frustoconical surface andsimilarly inclined relative to the sleeve axis and a radially innersurface comprising a plurality of serrated edges projecting radiallyinwardly in juxtaposition to the outer surface of said inner sleeve, anda vertical adjustment screw connecting one of said sleeves and itssupport member, which screw when the column is arranged between afooting and floor support beam is adapted to be actuated to increase theaxial separation of the last-mentioned support member from its sleeveand thereby produce a telescopic retraction force on the two sleeveswhich causes said serrated edges to be forcibly embedded in the outersurface of said inner sleeve to support the load of the beam, and whichscrew when said column is supporting the load of the beam is adapted tobe actuated to raise and lower the portion of the beam engaged by thebeam support member, and wedge retaining means disposed vertically abovesaid wedges and extending radially between said outer sleeve and saidinner sleeve, said wedge retaining means comprising an annular discbetween said sleeves and at least one screw threaded through said outersleeve vertically above said disc and extending radially inwardly toabut said inner sleeve, said screw serving to axially lock said sleevestogether when said column is in said collapsed condition.

2. The column of claim 1 wherein said adjustment screw is locatedbetween the upper end of said inner sleeve and said beam support member.

1. A telescoping support column for vertically supporting a floor support beam from a footing spaced therebelow comprising an upper inner sleeve and a lower outer sleeve slidably arranged in telescoping fashion, a beam support member connected to the upper end of said inner sleeve, a floor support member connected to the loweR end of said outer sleeve, means for transmitting an axial load from said inner sleeve to said outer sleeve when the column is arranged between a footing and a floor support beam comprising a frusto-conical surface coaxially defined on the inner surface of the upper end portion of the outer sleeve and extending radially outwardly in the upward direction at an acute angle relative to the sleeve axis, a plurality of arcuately-shaped wedges arcuately arranged between the frusto-conical surface and the outer surface of said inner sleeve, each of said wedges having a radially outer surface in juxtaposition to the frustoconical surface and similarly inclined relative to the sleeve axis and a radially inner surface comprising a plurality of serrated edges projecting radially inwardly in juxtaposition to the outer surface of said inner sleeve, and a vertical adjustment screw connecting one of said sleeves and its support member, which screw when the column is arranged between a footing and floor support beam is adapted to be actuated to increase the axial separation of the last-mentioned support member from its sleeve and thereby produce a telescopic retraction force on the two sleeves which causes said serrated edges to be forcibly embedded in the outer surface of said inner sleeve to support the load of the beam, and which screw when said column is supporting the load of the beam is adapted to be actuated to raise and lower the portion of the beam engaged by the beam support member, and wedge retaining means disposed vertically above said wedges and extending radially between said outer sleeve and said inner sleeve, said wedge retaining means comprising an annular disc between said sleeves and at least one screw threaded through said outer sleeve vertically above said disc and extending radially inwardly to abut said inner sleeve, said screw serving to axially lock said sleeves together when said column is in said collapsed condition.
 2. The column of claim 1 wherein said adjustment screw is located between the upper end of said inner sleeve and said beam support member. 